Sunday, July 29

A Multimodal Tour

Metro Vancouver is a region on the move. In order to accommodate new growth and support objectives on climate action, health, economic development, and community resiliency, Metro Vancouver is transforming the built environment to increase mode share for cycling, walking, and public transit. TransLink’s multimodal tour will showcase examples of transportation infrastructure and services and provide delegates with insights on land use and development policies that help to reduce single occupied vehicle use and reduce the demand for parking. The tour will feature the regions busiest integrated transit service hubs, protected bike lanes, car & bike sharing, SeaBus / ferries, bike parking facilities, pedestrian walkways, and more!

APTA recommends tour participants arrive on Saturday, July 28. 

Please contact Daniel Boyle (1st Vice Chair, Multimodal Operations Planning Subcommittee; President, Dan Boyle & Associates, Inc., San Diego, CA) at dan@danboyleandassociates.com to sign up. Space will be limited.

Registration

Lanyards sponsored by GIRO Inc.

Sustainability & Transit-Oriented Development Tours

TransLink is the first Canadian transit organization to achieve Platinum level status from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) on Sustainability Commitment. TransLink's sustainability efforts are driven by its commitment to creating a better and more sustainable place to live for the people of the region. Please join us on TransLink’s Sustainability tour to learn about our sustainability practices and policies and initiatives happening now and those coming in the future, such as electric vehicles, fleet efficiencies, LEED buildings, and more.

Please contact Elizabeth Lovinggood (APTA) at elovinggood@apta.com to sign up. Space will be limited.

Tour sponsored by VIA Architecture

 

Tabletop Displays

Monday, July 30

Networking Breakfast

Registration

Tabletop Displays

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Introductory Remarks

• Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
• J. Barry Barker, Chair, APTA Sustainability Committee; Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City (TARC), Louisville, KY
• Cyndi Harper, Chair, APTA Multimodal Operations Planning Subcommittee; Manager of Route Planning, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN
  

TransLink Host Forum

Join TransLink and their regional partners for an informed discussion on the intersections of transit, housing and technology. Metro Vancouver is one of the most desired places to live in the world, but as the population is expected to grow by more than one million more people over the next 30 years, this puts added pressures on the transit system and housing. How can the region best leverage technological innovation to support vibrant, healthy communities? Hear from local industry experts on the challenges and opportunities ahead for Metro Vancouver.

Session sponsored by HNTB Corporation

• Rob Malli, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

• Kevin Desmond, Principal + National Director, Transit and Rail, Sam Schwartz Engineering, Seattle, WA
• Jessie Adcock, Chief Technology Officer, City of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
• Shayne Ramsay, CEO, BC Housing, Burnaby, BC

Homelessness and Transit

In recent years, homelessness has emerged as one of the most pressing crises to hit communities - large and small - across the country.  The lack of sufficient affordable housing options, social services, and relevant policies are contributing to large increases in the homeless population seeking shelter in transit stations, buses and trains, and has created challenging quality of life problems in our systems.  Transit agencies are learning that they can’t put a dent on this intractable problem without changing their business practices and developing partnerships.  Learn from these agencies on how they are trying to improve conditions for transit customers and employees, and the homeless population.

• J. Barry Barker, Transit Authority of River City (TARC), Louisville, KY

• Tim Chan, Group Manager - Station Area Planning, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), Oakland, CA

• Alex Z. Wiggins, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New Orleans, LA

• Sgt. Wendy Hawthorne, Client Services Sergeant, Metro Vancouver Transit Police, New Westminster, BC

• David Green, Chief Operating Offficer, St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission, St. Cloud, MN

Improving Speed & Reliability - Keeping Buses & Trains Moving

Transit agencies are faced with declining operating speeds in increasingly congested environments. It is not just cars causing the congestion –pedestrians, bicyclists, ridesharing and delivery vehicles also contribute to the problem as everyone is vying for space in a limited right-of-way. Slower operating speeds result in unreliable and unattractive service and can lead to service reductions if resources are not available to add time to maintain headways.The “toolbox” of options to improve bus speed and reliability includes bus bulbs, restricted lanes, transit signal priority (TSP), queue bypass lanes, and stop consolidation. Has your organization implemented one or more of these tools?  How have you partnered with local transportation departments that control the right-of-way and how have these partnerships improved speed and reliability?  How is right-of-way, including curb space, prioritized in your community and how have you worked with other modal communities (i.e. pedestrian, bike and ridesharing) to develop inclusive solutions in constrained right-of-way?

Session sponsored by Optibus Inc. 

• Leslie Bienenfeld, Manager of Special Events and Construction, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni), San Francisco, CA

• Douglas Monroe, Manager, Corridor Planning (Operations), Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO

• Owen Kehoe, PE, PTOE, Lead Transportation Engineer, Speed and Reliability Program, King County Metro , Seattle, WA
• Benjamin A. Smith, Senior Transportation Planner, City of Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle, WA

• Kate Lyman, Senior Planner and Project Manager, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR

• Shaun C. Morrell, Manager of Scheduling and Systems Support, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN

What's New and What's Next: Innovative Approaches to Improving Mobility

Transit agencies are re-thinking the ways in which technology and new emerging services to improve mobility. As more private sector providers enter the mobility space, transit agencies are primed to create partnerships and determine how these new players can be complementary, and not competitive, with transit. What’s more, transit agencies are developing solutions to improve access to transit and solve the first/last mile issue on their own. Join this session to learn how transit agencies are collaborating with TNCs, developing apps for an improved customer experience and implementing sustainable approaches to provide transit service in this new mobility paradigm.

• Peter Varga, Principal Past APTA Chair, Peter Varga, Belmont, MI

• Ann Derby, PMP, CTSM, Director of Marketing & Events, INIT Innovations in Transportation Inc., Chesapeake, VA

• Bonnie J. Epstein, Director of Mobility Services, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL

• Paul Desrocher, Director, Transit and Rail, Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver, CO

• Thomas Harrington, Principal, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Medford, MA

Speaker Luncheon

Lunch co-sponsored by HDR and APTA

• Dr. Patricia Daly, Chief Medical Health Officer and Vice President, Public Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC

Driving the Value of Climate Action Plans & Resiliency Frameworks for Public Transit Agencies

With the threat of increased extreme weather events and sea level rise, public transportation infrastructure is becoming more and more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The industry must adapt and become more resilient to remain viable and effective. Hear from these speakers to learn about different tools that help identify climate-related threats, organizational thinking around the issues, and specific technologies to implement adaptation and resiliency projects.

• Projjal K. Dutta, AIA, LEED AP, Director, Sustainable Initiatives, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York, NY

• Deborah W. Matherly, , Columbia, SC

• Dorit Mason, Senior Manager, Emergency Management & Safety, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

• Ken J. Anderson, AIA, LEED AP, Vice President, Civic Sector Leader, Buildings, Stantec , Arlington, VA

• Paul Faeth, Principal, Cadmus Group, Arlington, VA

Leveraging Unique Funding Sources for Sustainable Transit Projects

Sustainable transit projects have unique sources of funding that are not always available to traditional transit projects. Sources include Green Bonds, Sustainability Bonds, Volkswagen Settlement Funds, Lo-No grant funds, zero-emission bus voucher funds, utility partnerships, among others. These funding tools all help reduce out of pocket upfront project costs and can help make a sustainable transit project economical. Several case studies illustrate how transit agencies have successfully combined these financing tools with other sources of funding to implement successful and cost effective sustainable transit systems.

Session sponsored by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. 

• Andrew D Brennan, Vice President/National Transit & Rail Practice, HNTB Corporation, Boston, MA

• Annie Julien, Sustainable Development Corporate Advisor, Societe de transport de Montreal, Montreal, QC

• Alan Westenskow, Director, Business Development, Proterra Inc., Greenville, CA

• Dr. Holmes Hummel, Principal, Clean Energy Works, Washington, DC

• Jeffrey Freeman, Sustainability Manager, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN

Reversing & Managing Ridership Declines: Part I - Research

Many transit agencies are facing declining ridership, especially on the bus side and there are a lot of theories behind why this is happening. This session will focus on what the industry research reveals about root causes, patterns and trends, as well as other unique factors that have affected transit usage, such as changes in how immigrant communities perceive transit. Knowing what is happening will help us figure out how we can buck the trend.

• James Drake, Principal Planner, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento, CA

• Holly Chase, Senior Transit Planner, Sam Schwartz Engineering, New York, NY

• Jason Lee, Project Manager, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco, CA

• Arthur L. Guzzetti, Vice President – Mobility Initiatives and Public Policy, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

Roundtable Idea Exchanges

Join us for an interactive roundtable conversation focused on different public transport trending topics. With over two dozen selected current topics, attendees will have the option of picking up to two topics to “sit in” for and contribute to a discussion facilitated by an industry expert. Each roundtable will begin with a short introduction to the topic from the facilitator, and then he or she will open it up for broader discussion with the whole table. Be part of the movement and what is slated to be an enthusiastic discussion over coffee with your peers!

• Mary Lawrence, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX

• Jack Edson Whisner, Transit Planner, King County Metro , Seattle, WA

• Daniel K. Boyle, President, Dan Boyle & Associates LLC, Alexandria, VA

• Tian A. Feng, FAIA, FCSI, District Architect, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), Oakland, CA

• Lacy Bell, Principal - Seattle Office Lead, Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc., Seattle, WA

• Leslie Bienenfeld, Manager of Special Events and Construction, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni), San Francisco, CA

• Christof Spieler, PE, AICP, LEED AP, Director of Planning, Huitt-Zollars, Inc., Houston, TX

• Luis Anthony Divito, Transportation Operations, Stanford University, Parking & Transportation Department, Stanford, CA

• Danielle Nicole DeVries, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

• Dr. Holmes Hummel, Principal, Clean Energy Works, Washington, DC

• Jessica Garcia, Service Planning Manager, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco, CA
• Lucas Smith, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni), San Francisco, CA

• Christina Jaworski, Senior Environmental Planner, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA
• Daniel Lee, Sustainability Analyst, Strategy Planning & Program Management, Office of Sustainability, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC
• Jeffrey Freeman, Sustainability Manager, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN

• Sarah Buckle, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC
• Dom Repta, MES, Sustainability Strategist, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

• Lidia Berger, MEM, LEED Fellow, LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP O+M, ENV S, Director, Technical Core, U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, DC
• Nellie Cheng, Managing Director, GBCI Canada, Vancouver, BC

• Andy Metz, Director, Customer Success, Swiftly, Inc., San Francisco, CA

• Steve Durrant, FASLA, PLA, Principal, Alta Planning + Design, Inc., Portland, OR

• Toshi Shepard-Ohta, Head of Business Development, Populus, San Francisco, CA

Multimodal Operations Planning Subcommittee Meeting

Sustainability Commitment Signatories Subcommittee Meeting

Evening Reception

Reception co-sponsored by WSP USA and APTA

Tuesday, July 31

Networking Breakfast

Registration

Tabletop Displays

Creating Collaboration to Advance Sustainability Goals

Transit projects often involve a wide range of stakeholders, including government entities, transit agencies, MPOs, consultants, contractors, vendors, and suppliers, among others. How can these entities partner together to find innovative solutions to solve problems? Hear best practices for collaborating and working together to successfully advance sustainability objectives and implement multimodal projects.

• Bob Hastings, FAIA, Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland, OR

• Kokila Lochan, Senior Planner, VIA Architecture, Seattle, WA

• Ramond A. Robinson, Director of Transportation, Anne Arundel County , Annapolis, MD
• Tanya Schaffer Asman, Bicycle Pedestrian Planner, Anne Arundel County , Annapolis, MD

• Nadia Krys, P.E., P.Eng., PMP, Manager Engineering Project Delivery, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC
• Rob Church, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC
• Ashish Sachdeva, Director, Hyperlight Systems, Vancouver, BC

• Benjamin A. Smith, Senior Transportation Planner, City of Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle, WA

• Steve Witter, Portfolio Development Lead, Mott MacDonald, Portland, OR

Encouraging Active Transportation through Healthy & Connected Corridors

Residents and businesses thrive when neighborhoods are connected, job growth is preserved and encouraged, economic vitality is promoted, and quality of life is valued and enhanced. Having a sound complete streets policy accomplishes these goals and goes further by decreasing negative environmental impacts, promoting healthy living, and advancing the well‐being of residents. Join this session to learn how to prioritize transit and walkability in street design to spur sustainable, healthy and equitable outcomes.

• David Cooper, MPI., MCIP, RPP, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

• Moshik Mah, AIA, LEED AP, Design Principal, Architect, HDR , Los Angeles, CA
• Dr. Emmanuel "Cris" Battad Liban, PE. ENV SP, Chief Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA

• Heather Sobush, Director of Planning, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL

• Michael Horsting, AICP, Manager, Local Planning, Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago, IL

• Matt Craig, Manager, System Planning, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

Resiliency Planning: How to Handle Special Events, Natural Disasters & Other Unanticipated Situations

All special events, whether an exciting occasion such as a major sports championship for the hometown team or an unfortunate one like a hurricane or website hacking, have one thing in common – they put an immense strain on transit operations. How can an agency balance an influx of service and new riders for a one-time event while still maintaining operations on the regular system for daily riders? How do you cope with unexpectedly losing access to major resources, infrastructure or part of your city? How do you manage disruptions to key communications, data, planning and scheduling sources? How do you recover and get back to normal?

• Michael Abegg, Principal, Minuteman West Consulting Group, Benicia, CA

• Gordon Robinson, AICP, PMP, Managing Director of Operations, Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority, Corpus Christi, TX
• Mary Lawrence, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX

• Jessica Garcia, Service Planning Manager, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco, CA

• Dominick V. Pellegrin, Manager of Rail Operations- Field, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN

• Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA), Burnsville, MN

A Multimodal Potpourri

Come learn a little about a lot. This potpourri features sessions that didn’t fit neatly into one of the designated topic areas but are too good to pass up!

• Lacy Bell, Principal - Seattle Office Lead, Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc., Seattle, WA

• Robert P. Jones, Deputy Director, Public Transit, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Buffalo, NY

• Mary Lawrence, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX

• Katie Chalmers, Managing Director of Service Development, King County Metro , Seattle, WA

• Angela Salehi, TransLink, New Westminster, BC
• Mia Pears, AICP, Manager, Transit Network Management, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

Harnessing Big Data for a Smarter Public Transportation System

The rapid growth of “big data” presents transit agencies with real opportunities to improve performance and better understand the environmental aspects of their systems.  Learn how transit agencies are gathering, using, and leveraging big data to improve decision making, deepen knowledge about riders and other stakeholders, analyze sustainability data and ensure regulatory compliance in major capital projects, and integrate mobility options with diverse partners.

• Robert H. Borowski, ENV SP, Sustainability Officer, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX

• Berry E. Farrington, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN

• Graeme Brown, Senior Planner, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC
• Abdul Shehata, Consultant - Advanced Analytics R&D, InfoStages Advisors, Vancouver, BC

• Mark Teschauer, AICP, ENV SP, , Washington, DC

Social and Economic Sustainability

How and why are economic, social, and health assessments used in sustainability? When and how are they implemented? How can it help my organization? Applying these key processes within the over-arching sustainability framework can assist organizations in thinking, communicating, planning, and designing creatively to help leadership realize a more effective feature. Thinking through a sustainability context to identify and evaluate opportunities associated with economic and social impacts is increasingly being used to prioritize which initiatives, programs, and processes best meet the triple bottom line. Hear from these speakers as they discuss initiatives from transit agencies to create more opportunities for workforce development, social justice, health assessment, community building and engagement, and economic development within their agency and in transportation projects.

• Rachel Healy, Director, Sustainability, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC

• Christina Jaworski, Senior Environmental Planner, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA

• Pamela Yonkin, ENV SP, Sustainability & Resiliency Director of Transportation, HDR, Boston, MA
• Michael Musso, HDR, Sr. Project Manager / Risk Assessor, HDR, New York, NY

• Kay Shelton, Project Manager III, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX

• Carrie M. Lee, Sustainability Program Manager, King County Metro , Seattle, WA

Speaker Luncheon

• Gil Kelley, FAICP, General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability, City of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC

Bus and Fleet: Energy Diversification and Operational Impacts

With multiple ways to power transit, diesel, bio-diesel, propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), hybrid, electric, fuel cell, what’s a transit agency to do? What are the preliminary considerations for fuel diversification and the impacts to operations and maintenance? Hear agency perspectives to the discussion on fuel source diversification, especially as agencies are planning for or considering making a change, and what approaches agencies are developing for an integrated, clean, resilient, and flexible public transportation system.

• Erik Bigelow, Senior Project Manager, Technology Development, Center for Transportation and the Environment, Atlanta, GA

• Carrie Butler, , Louisville, KY

• Circe Torruellas, , Washington, DC
• Erik Belmont, Project Manager, Gannett Fleming, Inc., Boston, MA

• Jane Sullivan, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, Urbana, IL
• Jaimie Levin, Senior Project Manager, Director of West Coast Operations, Center for Transportation and the Environment, Berkeley, CA

• Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, Director, Transportation Efficiency, VEIC, Winooski, VT

Reversing & Managing Ridership Declines: Part II - Practitioners

Understanding why ridership is declining is important, but it is only useful if we can successfully apply this information to reverse the trend. In light of changing markets, how have various transit agencies- the “practioners”- strategically looked at the services that they provide? Have any transit agencies scoped out a strategic vision to address these issues and more importantly have any reversed the decline in ridership that has been seen nationwide? Or are there other factors such as rider perception, including safety and security, that will need a different type of strategy to win riders back and retain the riders we have?

• Peter G. Cafiero, Managing Director, Inter-Modal Planning, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC

• Michael Eshleman, Service Planning Manager, AC Transit (Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District), Oakland, CA

• John Urgo, Planning and Development Director, AC Transit (Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District), Oakland, CA

• Heather Sobush, Director of Planning, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL

• Daniel K. Boyle, President, Dan Boyle & Associates LLC, Alexandria, VA

• Jason F. Kennedy, Planner Analyst, Pierce Transit, Lakewood, WA

Sustaining the Sustainability Momentum Internally and Externally

What does Sustainability really mean? How does it work? How can it help my agency/organization? Applying sustainability processes can assist organization in thinking, communicating, and planning and designing creatively to help leadership realize a more effective future. Thinking through a sustainability lens helps to identify and prioritize which initiatives, programs, and processes best meet the triple bottom line. Several case studies will illustrate how transit agencies have successfully implemented sustainability plans and programs and what approaches can be effective for incorporating a commitment to sustainability agency-wide and communicating an agency’s role as a leader in the region.

• Joseph T. Iacobucci, Director of Transit, Sam Schwartz Engineering, New York, NY

• Serena Mau, BART West Bay Extensions, Oakland, CA
• Katherine Howe, Director, VIA Architecture, Oakland, CA

• Annie Julien, Sustainable Development Corporate Advisor, Societe de transport de Montreal, Montreal, QC

• Janet R. Gonzalez Tudor, MBA, ENV SP, PROSCI, STP, Director, Transport Advisory Services, HDR, Chicago, IL

• Andrew C. Rodgers, P.E., Vice President, Local Business Leader, WSP USA

• Benjamin E. Trevino, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, Honolulu, HI
• Dr. Ryan Tam, Director of Planning, Environmental Compliance, and Sustainability, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, Honolulu, HI

Transit and Sustainability Jeoparody

This session is like a live Jeopardy game, although teams compete instead of single participants. Learn some very useful and interesting facts about sustainability issues and multimodal transit operations. To acknowledge the two distinct groups present at this workshop - questions on both topics are present in the Jeopardy categories. To compete you will have to reach across the aisle to build a team with very smart transit people and some knowledgeable sustainability folks. Sounds like transit agencies of the future. Of course to win you have to be lucky or crafty - or both. A valuable prize will be awarded to the winning team.

• Paul Bignardi, AICP, Principal Transportation Planner, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco, CA
• Janet R. Gonzalez Tudor, MBA, ENV SP, PROSCI, STP, Director, Transport Advisory Services, HDR, Chicago, IL

Sustainability Committee Meeting

Wednesday, August 1

Registration

Tabletop Displays

Continental Breakfast

Back in the Saddle: Integrating Bikes and Transit to Make the Complete Trip

In today’s changing transportation landscape, agencies need to look beyond conventional transit services and prioritize mobility from the customer’s perspective to remain both competitive and responsive to demand. Cycling extends the catchment area of transit stops far beyond walking range; and, transit can complement cycling by overcoming long distances, physical barriers and bad weather. Transit agencies across the country are making improvements to both stations and vehicles to accommodate bikes and APTA recently completed a recommended practice to provide practical steps in doing so. Join this session to learn how agencies are integrating bikes and transit at stations, onboard vehicles, and facilitating the bicycle’s role as a feeder to transit and catalyst for improved ridership.

• Stacy M. Cook, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Medford, MA

• Dan Suraci, AICP, TransPro Consulting

• Derek Yau, P.Eng., Transportation Engineer, Cycling Projects, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), New Westminster, BC

• Melissa Jones, Senior Planner, San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), San Carlos, CA

• Patrick J. McMahon, Senior Planner, Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore, MD

Evaluating Sustainability for Projects and Programs

Sustainability rating systems provide an understandable way to communicate sustainability whether it is within an agency or project, to design and construction professionals, or to the general public. Currently there are a number of national and international rating system efforts within the sustainable transportation community, such as Envision, GRESB, and ISO 14001:2015, that vary in scope and complexity. How should project teams and owners decide which rating system is best suited to your project or your client’s needs? What are the defining features of the standards out there? Hear from these speakers as they discuss their experiences with sustainability rating systems.

• Councillor Heather Deal, City Council Member, City of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC

• Jamie D. Brinkley, Senior Sustainability Planner, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA

• Lidia Berger, MEM, LEED Fellow, LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP O+M, ENV S, Director, Technical Core, U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, DC

• Veronica Owens, WSP USA, Glastonbury, CT
• Helen Brennek, WSP USA, Glastonbury, CT

• Donna Bartel, Senior Sustainability Advisor, South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), Surrey, BC

Life Without Diesel: Operations Planning for Emerging Vehicle Technologies

If your agency is using alternative fuel vehicles such as electric, hybrid or CNG buses, this can pose new challenges when it comes to operations planning and impacts on infrastructure. Electric buses result in many new planning and scheduling challenges now that the vehicle and not just the operator need a break. For example, what are the impacts of in-field (rapid charge) as compared to bus yard/garage (usually overnight) charging of battery electric buses? Does the need for longer guaranteed layovers result in increased operating expenses? What is the drain on electrical infrastructure from charging 100+ vehicles overnight at the same operating base? Are there similar or different challenges that must be addressed when using other alternative fuel vehicles such as CNG or hybrids?

Session sponsored by BAE SYSTEMS

• Paul Bignardi, AICP, Principal Transportation Planner, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, San Francisco, CA

• David Carr, Director, Zero Emission Vehicle Program, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX

• R. Cooper Langdon, Service Planner/Scheduler I, Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO

• Michael Eshleman, Service Planning Manager, AC Transit (Alameda Contra-Costa Transit District), Oakland, CA

Clean Energy: Reducing Public Transportation's Carbon Footprint

Many transit agencies are reducing their carbon footprint through additional investment and innovative partnerships. Several case studies illustrate how transit agencies are achieving green energy goals through power purchase agreements with utilities, renewable energy sources, community choice aggregation, and energy management systems, among other strategies.

• Margaret Cederoth, AICP, LEED AP, Director of Planning and Sustainability, California High-Speed Rail Authority, Sacramento, CA

• Holly Gordon, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Oakland, CA

• Motoshi Itadani, Strategy for Energy and the Environment, East Japan Railway Company, Tokyo, Japan

• April Chan, General Manager/CEO, San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), San Carlos, CA
• Heather Unger, LEED AP, ENV SP, Senior Sustainability Consultant, WSP USA, Philadelphia, PA

• Amy Shatzkin, APTA Sustainability Committee Chair; Deputy Director, Environmental Affairs & Sustainability, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA

Innovative Partnerships Between Transit Agencies & Vendors

Transit agencies and consultants or vendors often pair up to resolve an issue using software or technology. In this session you will hear from both sides of the partnership- the transit agency that benefits from a product and the vendor who create and support the software, technology, etc. The team presentations will demonstrate what the problem was and how the new product has made their system more effective and productive.

• Lawrence Deeter, Manager Systems Development, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX

• Andy Metz, Director, Customer Success, Swiftly, Inc., San Francisco, CA

• Tony Lynch, Supervisor, Demand Response Planning, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX
• Louis Pappas, Via Transportation, Inc., New York, NY

• Fred Combs, Director of Planning, Technology & Community Relations, Lextran, Lexington, KY

• Jacob Labutka, Senior Planner, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL
• Sophie Le Blanc, Transit app, Montreal, QC

Closing Session

• J. Barry Barker, Transit Authority of River City (TARC), Louisville, KY
• Cyndi Harper, Senior Manager, Route Planning, Service Development, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, MN

Multimodal Technical Tours

Our host, TransLink, has arranged the following informative technical tours on Wednesday, August 1. Please sign up on site for the tour(s) of your choice at the TransLink information desk in the APTA registration area in the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre.

Space will be limited.

• Expo Line and Operations & Maintenance
• This tour will showcase the Expo Line and Operations & Maintenance of the SkyTrain rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver region. The SkyTrain is the oldest and one of the longest full-automated, driverless, rapid transit systems in the world, and it started with the Expo Line. Opened in 1986, the Expo Line has grown to 29 km of guideway and now stretches from Waterfront Station to King George Station transporting customers from Surrey and surrounding communities to downtown Vancouver in under 40 minutes. During peak times, trains operate every 2-4 minutes, and the closest headway that can be continuously operated is 75 seconds.ing the terminal to move with the tides throughout the day.
• Seabus
• Board the SeaBus and experience the crossing of Burrard Inlet that 17,000 customers make on the average weekday. The passenger-only ferry connects downtown Vancouver with the North Shore and travels at a speed of approximately 12 knots. The double-ended design of the vessel eliminates turn-arounds upon departure, improving safety and reducing travel time. Its passenger terminals are very unique; they both float on water, enabling the terminal to move with the tides throughout the day.
• Millennium Line Evergreen Extension
• Join us as we travel the Evergreen Extension along the Millennium Line where we will stop and walk through some of the key stations highlighting West Coast architecture and fully-integrated transit connections. The 11-km extension is a combination of elevated, at-grade, and tunneled track with six new stations serving three municipalities (Burnaby, Coquitlam, and Port Moody). The SkyTrain can operate with speeds up to 80 km/h on this extension, offering fast, frequent, and direct service between Coquitlam and Vancouver.
• Hamilton Transit Centre
• See the Hamilton Transit Centre, TransLink’s new transit bus operations and maintenance centre located in Richmond, B.C. The facility serves three primary functions: bus dispatch, bus service (fuel and wash), and bus maintenance. Expected to receive LEED Silver rating, the facility design incorporates energy efficiency measures and many sustainability features including radiant floor heating, the use of recycled pine beetlewood, LED lighting and a heat reflective roof.